Según Samantha: Favorite things

Okay, so I'm not Oprah. I can't give you all cars and trips to Australia but if I could, I would. What I can do is share some useful websites and apps that I use while I am traveling or while I'm planning a trip.

If only Oprah was still on T.V. :(

The things I'm going to share with you probably won't make your faces look like these....

Oprahh!!!

But I'm going to share with you anyways...

I am really big on planning and I like to read into reviews before I book a trip to any place or any hostel. Actually, I obsess about it a little bit, especially when I am hosting someone. My list of hostels is rapidly increasing and some have been great, others....not so much. It is important to figure out what you want out of a hostel. Free breakfast, comfort, cleanliness, location, friendliness, etc. I use the following sites to read reviews and find the best ones.

Hostelbookers

You can see pictures, reviews, rates, info, maps, etc all on www.hostelbookers.com

Trip Advisor

You can find anything and everything on www.tripadvisor.com

Trip Advisor: There are a lot of websites similar to this however, Trip Advisor leaves their symbol all over restaurants, hostels, hotels, bars, in major cities all around the world. They give out rewards for places with great reviews or for excellence. I trust their website and you can find info about tourist destinations; what to see, what to eat, where to stay, what to do if you only have 3 days or if you have 10 days.

Bla Bla Car (RideShare): which is like organized car pooling with strangers. I've done this only once but it was a legit experience. My roommate and I contacted a young girl who was driving back through Seville to Badajoz. We paid 1/3 of the price of a bus ticket and got home an hour faster than usual, plus we were able to practice Spanish during the car ride.

Bla Bla Car- easy to navigate and a great way to carpool

Couch Surfing: I haven't personally done this yet but I know people who have and loved it. I still read profiles every now and again to get an idea of the kind of experiences people are having who choose to do it. Couch surfing is entirely free and was created for travellers to meet new people. If I did decide to couch surf, I would only do so with someone who had a lot of positive reviews. There are ways to verify the people who have space in their homes to host you

Couchsurfers can be very experienced. For example, this man has 850+ references and is verified as a reliable host in the city of Dublin, Ireland.

Songza. This is my new and favorite music app. I listen to Songza all day and all night. It has EVERYTHING you could want and it even helps you figure out what you want. It is pure genius and organized by genres, moods, singers, holidays, activities, etc. I am even listening to it this very moment while writing this post.

I love that it asks you what you are doing. If you don't want any of these options then you can go into explore or popular playlsits.

Songza is definitely with it...during Mardi Gras time I found this playlist and felt like I was literally in New Orleans.

Instagram: Another app that I use all the time is Instagram. It is an app where you upload photos that you take with your phone. It lets you edit your photos or add different types of shades and colors to make your pictures prettier. I usually upload my Instagram photos on to my Facebook anyways, for those of you who don't have it.

www.northjersey.com (this isn't mine)

SpanishDict: If you are travelling in a Spanish speaking country, the Spanish Dictionary app will definitely come in handy. I use this all the time! It doesn't require wifi to use it and it is very quick and has a large bank of words.

I use this app a lot during my private lessons when I don't know how to translate something

Shutterfly: When I'm done travelling, I will turn to one of my favorite websites to make books, albums, or to print all of the 1,000,000 photos that I have taken. I have been using Shutterfly for years now and it always is offering specials and discounts for it's members. I have made calendars, cards, stationary, photo books, you name it. I plan to print out my blog and put it in a book using Shutterfly. If you haven't used it, try it out!